The critically endangered Marsh Pea, once thriving in East Yorkshire’s wetlands, may be making a comeback.

The plant was recently discovered in two isolated locations by John Barnard, a passionate plantsman and volunteer at the Tophill Low nature reserve.

Barnard successfully germinated seeds he collected from Hornsea Mere and Pulfin Bog near Beverley. Through careful experimentation, he found that the seeds required 120 days in a fridge to sprout.

He said warmer winters could be one of the reasons the plant was failing to thrive.

“There are two remaining populations in East Yorkshire and that’s it.

“If they ever die out because of climate change or drying out then we lose the whole species.”

He hopes to reintroduce the Marsh Pea in areas where it historically thrived. His efforts are part of a broader Yorkshire Water project aimed at restoring native species to wetland habitats.

Barnard’s work was inspired by botanist Eva Crackles, whose book The Flora of the East Riding of Yorkshire, published in 1990, documented the region’s plant life after decades of research.

Crackles’ meticulous records led Barnard to the remaining Marsh Pea plants. She was recognised with an honorary doctorate from the University of Hull for her contributions to botany.

The Marsh Pea initiative is just one part of an ambitious plant restoration program at Tophill Low Nature Reserve. The project has also successfully propagated the previously unrecorded greater water parsnip from seed.

Additionally, the red-listed lesser water plantain was recently found growing wild in East Yorkshire, with 1,000 seeds collected for future planting along the River Hull valley.

Tophill Low Reserve warden Richard Hampshire said: “We have grown all these plants on to try and benefit the environment both at Tophill Low and the wider Hull valley so that’s why we’ve invested in the new polytunnel and wet beds and all the facilities to do all this great stuff.”

The project is actively seeking volunteers to help with its efforts to rewild and restore the region’s wetlands.

 

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